Auras are the energy fields that flow in and around our bodies, moving at different speeds and frequencies. With the use of software and scanners, built specifically for the purpose, auras can be mapped out and show up as glowing hues of the rainbow, from red to violet. A red aura, for example, reflects someone who is energetic and strong-willed, while a blue aura emanates from someone who is calm and intuitive. 

Auras can reveal a lot about a person—from personality traits to emotional states of being—and McCann says she has witnessed a lot of what she calls “massive aha! moments” from her clients. Her Asheville-based store, Auratherapy, located in the Grove Arcade, conducts aura and chakra analyses or “readings” for hundreds of people each week, she says. The process creates detailed reports from the findings, along with product recommendations from Auratherapy’s own line of aromatherapy products for body and home. 

“One of the new frontiers of wellness is finding out how to manage our energy,” McCann says. “Where are we moving and where are we holding on to energy?” 

McCann opened Auratherapy in 2018 and enjoyed swift success. Many clients come in for fun—often as part of a birthday celebration, girls weekend or bachelor/bachelorette party—but others come to the store looking for genuine insights and healing. McCann has since opened a second location in Miami and does a brisk business of selling her Auratherapy products online. 

McCann now sees an opportunity to expand even further, and her larger vision is to make Asheville an epicenter for “energy work”—which, in addition to aromatherapy, can include breathwork, meditation, acupuncture and Ayurveda, among other practices—building on the city’s decades-long reputation as a destination for health and healing. Auras can reveal a lot about a person—from personality traits to emotional states of being—and McCann has witnessed a lot of what she calls “massive aha! Good Vibes moments” from her clients. 

“Your energy tells a story—and our goal is to help you read it, understand it, and transform it,” McCann says. “Asheville is the perfect place to explore this new field of wellness.” 

As part of that goal, McCann plans to release a new book later this year—Auratherapy: A Guide to Adoring Yourself, Your Chakras and Your Auras—while also rolling out a certification program for others interested in conducting aura readings and possibly offering Auratherapy products to their own clients. 

A centerpiece of McCann’s plan is a new conference and events center, where she can host workshops and classes. In 2024, McCann bought a beautiful old church in Woodfin, just north of Asheville, for that purpose. After donating all of the pews, a working organ and stacks of Bibles to a church in Old Fort that got ruined in Hurricane Helene, she is now undertaking a massive renovation of the church with plans to open in late 2025.

“The church has these stained glass windows, and one of them shows the Noah’s Ark story,” McCann says. “It’s taking a lot to move forward with this after the hurricane. And so after seeing that, I felt this really big open-heartedness. We had to find the silver lining in all of this.” 

As part of its aura readings, Auratherapy analyzes the energy in a person’s chakras. Meaning “wheel” in Sanskrit, chakras are balls of energy within seven regions of the body, from the base of the torso to the top of the head. Ideally, the chakras are balanced and allow the free and easy flow of energy. Negative emotions, like fear and anger, can cause blockages and potentially contribute to physical health issues. 

The readings at Auratherapy generate a detailed 14-page report, and McCann and her team use the findings to suggest aromatherapy products that support the client’s needs. Auratherapy offers oils and sprays, all of them made in a production facility just north of Asheville. 

McCann moved to Asheville in 2017, leaving a career in fashion in New York City to carve out a new life in the mountains. After meeting an aromatherapy expert at a friend’s party, she learned more about essential oils and discovered that many people use the energetic frequencies of the oils to bolster and balance their own energy fields. 

Inspired by the healing potential of these products, McCann understood data was needed to provide insights that were tangible. Her life and business partner Jim Levinson, a mechanical engineer, reiki master and a student of energy healing practices, invested in the equipment to analyze auras and chakras, hoping a scientific approach could help steer clients toward specific purchases that could have the biggest impact. 

With so much going on, McCann is herself using aromatherapy products to maintain focus and balance, helping her stay grounded as she tries to build a successful business while staying true to her core mission of helping others be – come the best versions of themselves. 

“In my own journey, I’ve had to learn this notion of adoring myself,” McCann says. “And not in the way most people think—like a woowoo or metaphysical way—but to just be energetically aligned with my true nature.”